Center strip and support



Jane M 39% w. c. BURRELL.

CENTER STRIP AND SUPPORT Filed March 24, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 14, 1936. w. c. BURRELL CENTER STRIP AND SUPPORT Filed March 24, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ZTYEFY/EF lfldlla'am 6, 3w rreZZ,

Patented Jan. 14, 1936 UNITED STATES CENTER STRIP AND SUPPORT William C. Burrell, Kankakee, Ill., assignor to Wallace 0. Fischer, Chicago, Ill.

Application March 24, 1930, Serial No. 438,348

13 Claims.

Heretofore, in the construction of concrete roads, center strips have been provided constructed of sheet metal, which strips are usually staked in position longitudinally on the center line of the road sub-grade and project upwardly to approximately one-half inch below the upper surface of the pavement after the concrete has been poured to cover the sub-grade and embed the center strip.

This method of construction requires a large amount of sheet metal in the form of center strips which are ultimately left buried within the concrete forming the road, thereby providing a construction which is expensive, due to the abnormal amount of sheet metal required for the center strips.

For the purpose of reducing the amount of sheet metal required for the center strip mechanism and to reduce the entire cost of construction, this invention has been devised to provide an improved type of center strip and support consisting of a plurality of center strip plates or boards which are constructed of composition board, fiber, or sheet metal, if desired, adapted to be supported in position by means of spaced metallic brackets or shoes which are adapted to be staked in position on a road sub-grade to engage and hold a plurality of aligned center strip boards in position, with the lower longitudinal margins of the center strip boards positioned above the top surface of the sub-grade and with the upper longitudinal edges of said center strip boards projecting to the top surface of the road, if desired, or a short distance therebeneath, to create the required crack or groove in the concrete to compensate for the shrinkage or expansion of the concrete due to variations in temperature.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved center strip and support of improved and simplified construction wherein a plurality of aligned, abutting center strip boards constructed of sheet metal, fiber or other suitable nonmetallic material are adapted to be supported in vertical position above the top surface of the road sub-grade by means of a plurality of metallic shoes or brackets and clamping plates, with said brackets having retaining pins associated therewith for not only staking the shoes or brack ets in position co. the sub-grade, but furthermore serving the purpose of holding the center strip boards clamped in position and reenforced by means of reenforcing rods or bars, which are also adapted to be supported in position by means of the metal shoes or brackets.

It is also an object of this invention to. provide an improved simplified form of center strip and support wherein the amount of sheet metal required is materially reduced by replacing the ordinary center strip by metallic or fiber center strip boards which may be of reduced width and which are supported in aligned, abutting relation by means of occasional metallic shoes or brackets and apertured clamping plates associated with certain of the brackets at the points of abutting engagement of the ends of said center strip boards.

It is furthermore an object of this invention to provide an improved mechanism for creating the center groove or crack in a concrete road, said mechanism consisting of a plurality of apertured metallic brackets which are staked in position upon the road sub-grade, which brackets not only afford a support for the channel dowel bars but are provided mainly for the purpose of supporting a plurality of aligned, abutting center strip boards out of contact with the sub-grade, so that the amount of metal required for the center strip device is materially decreased, thereby reducing the cost of construction.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a center strip device for use in the construction of concrete roads and the like, said device embracing apertured metallic brackets adapted not only to receive retaining stakes and dowel bars engaged therethrough, but furthermore adapted, at spaced intervals, to receive clamping plates for the purpose of holding a plurality of abutting, aligned center strip boards mounted in clamped, reenforced position upon the brackets above the top surface of the road sub-grade to not only save material and reduce the cost of construction, but furthermore to permit the center strip boards, when constructed of fiber or non-metallic material, to extend upwardly to the top surface of the road, or within a short distance thereof, for the creation of the required crack or groove in the concrete to designate the center line of the road and to compensate for temperature changes which produce either expansion or contraction of the sections of the concrete forming the road.

It is an important object of this invention to provide an improved, inexpensive center strip and support adapted for concrete road construction work and the like, using center strip boards constructed of metal, fiber or other suitable nonmetallic material adapted to be supported in position above the top surface of the road subgrade by means of spaced supports and clamping members which not only support the center strip boards in position but are suitably apertured for the reception of retaining stakes and channel dowel bars which project transversely of the road and at substantially right angles to the retaining pins or stakes used for securing the center strip board supporting brackets in place upon the road sub-grade.

Other and further important objects of this invention will be apparent from the disclosures in the specification and the accompanying drawings.

This invention (in a preferred form) is illustrated in the drawings and hereinafter more fully described.

On the drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of an improved center strip and supports embodying the principles of this invention, and showing one of the center strip supports having a clamping plate associated therewith at the point of juncture of two sections of the center strip.

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical transverse section taken on line 11-11 of Figure 1 through a support having a clamping plate engaged thereon.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of one of the clamping plates removed from its support.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of one of the center strip supports.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of one end of one of the center strip sections.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of a modified form of center strip adapted to be supported in position by a modified form of support.

Figure 7 is an enlarged vertical transverse section taken on line VII-VII of Figure 6.

As shown on the drawings:

The improved center strip and support embodying the principles of this invention is adapted for use in concrete road construction work and the like and is to be positioned upon the top surface of the sub-grade with a plurality of spaced supports serving as a means for supporting a plurality of aligned, abutting center strips above the top surface of the road sub-grade to provide an arrangement in which the amount of sheet metal required is materially reduced, with a consequential reduction in the cost of construction, due to the fact that fiber or other non-metallic material may be used in the construction of the center strip sections or if preferred sheet metal strips of reduced width may be used.

The purpose of the improved center strip and support is to provide a means whereby the upper or crown section of a concrete road superimposed on the road sub-grade is adapted to have formed therein a continuous straight groove of substantially uniform width longitudinally along the center or crown of the concrete road to form a contraction joint adapted to compensate for variations in temperature causing expansion or contraction of the various sections of the concrete forming the road.

The center strip device comprises a plurality of center strip sections constructed of fiber board, composition board or sheet metal material, with said sections arranged in abutting aligned relation above the road sub-grade. Each of the center strip sections comprises a board I. the lower longitudinal margin of which is arranged with a plurality of spaced cut-outs or openings 2, while the lower end corners are cut out to provide half openings or notches 3 which form end arms 4 at the ends of the center strip board.

The improved center strip boards are adapted to be mounted in aligned relation with the end of the arm 4 of one board abutting against-the end of an arm I of an adjacent board, similar to the arrangement illustrated in Figure 1. The center strip boards are adapted to be supported in position above the top surface of the road subgrade by means of improved shoes or brackets constructed of sheet metal or other suitable material and spaced at intervals upon the top surface of the road sub-grade at the openings provided in the aligned center strip boards.

Each of the improved shoes or brackets is adapted to be formed from a unitary piece of sheet metal formed to provide a fiat bottom strip or section 5 having integrally formed at right angles to the lower margin or edge thereof a supporting flange or foot 6 provided with a pin or stake-receiving opening I. Integrally formed on the upper longitudinal margin of the base strip or section 5 is a longitudinally disposed intermediate trough or V-cross-sectioned middle section 8 provided with a pair of aligned stake-receiving openings or apertures 8 which are positioned above and are axially aligned with the opening i provided in the foot or flange 6, as clearly illustrated in Figure 4. The middle or intermediate section 8 of the support or bracket is also provided with a plurality of dowel bar-receiving openings or apertures III positioned at spaced intervals in the line of bend of said middle section 8. Integrally formed at the middle portion of the upper edge of the intermediate or middle section 8 of the bracket is an upper section or arm I I having a rounded bead or channel I2 integrally struck or formed therein to provide a groove or pocket for the reception of a reenforcing rod or bar l3. The upper end of the top section or arm II is tapered and bent over at an angle to project above the intermediate section 8 to provide a gripping blade or tooth I l. The tooth or blade I 4 is provided to project or cut into one side of a center strip board or section to assist in supporting the board in position supported upon a plurality of the spaced shoes or brackets with the notched openings 2 and 3 seated over i the upper portions of the intermediate V-shaped or channel-shaped sections 8 of said brackets, as illustrated in Figure 1.

For the purpose of holding the shoes or brackets supported in a desired location and position' upon the top surface of a road sub-grade, a channel-cross-sectioned retaining pin or stake I5 is engaged downwardly through the aligned openings 9 and 1, with the lower tapered end or point iii of the stake projecting downwardly into the sub-grade.

The retaining stakes or pins Ii of the intermediate shoes or brackets are adapted to be driven downwardly through the openings of the brackets adjacent one side of the center strip boards so that the pins or stakes serve a double purpose, i. e., to hold the shoes or brackets secured in position on the sub-grade, as well as provide a re taining means for holding the center strip boards I locked in position between the upper ends of the pins and the upper arms II of the brackets, the teeth or blades I l of which project or cut into the opposite side of said boards, thereby securely holding or locking the center strip boards in position on the brackets, with the lower edges of said center strip boards positioned above the top surface of the sub-grade. This arrangement permits center strip boards of reduced width to be used, so that the amount of material required is substantially reduced. Attention is also di- Val rected to the fact that the center strip boards may be constructed of fiber, composition board or accidentally come in contact with the upper edges of the center strip boards. The center strip boards, at their ends, are adapted to be positioned with the arms of adjacent boards contacting one another, as illustrated in Figure l at about the middle portion of a shoe or bracket with the end notches 3 seating over the end of the intermediate portion 8 of the bracket. For the purpose of facilitating the mounting of the center strip boards at their abutting ends, the respective shoes or brackets at the center strip joints are each provided with a clamping frame i'l constructed of sheet metal or the like and having an opening i8 provided therein to permit the frame to be seated over the V-cross-sectioned or intermediate portion or section 8 of a shoe or bracket and to the outer side of the pair of abutting center strip boards in a position opposite to the top arm i i of the bracket, the blade or tooth M of which is positioned to project or cut into the two abutting arms i of the aligned center strip boards. The retaining pin or stake l5 engaged through the apertures 9 and I of a shoe or bracket at the joint between a pair of aligned center strip boards is positioned to the outside of the clamping frame Hi to hold the frame clamped or locked in position.

At the joint in the center strip portion oi? the device, opposite sides of the abutting center strip boards are reenforced by the reeniorcing rods i3 and by the clamping frames I! which contact opposite faces of the center strip boards and are supported in position by the beads or channels 52 formed in the upper arms of the shoes or brackets and by the retaining stakes or pins it which project through the openings 9 and ii of the brackets. v

As clearly illustrated in Figure l, the joint brackets and the intermediate brackets which are provided for supporting the center strip boards in aligned, abutting relation above the top surface of the concrete road sub-grade also serve as a means whereby channeled or grooved dowel bars 99 are projected through the dowel bar openings in transversely of the road andat substantially right angles to the retaining pins or stakes it to be embedded in the concrete forming the top section or crown of the road.

Figures 6 and '7 illustrate a modified form of center strip and support comprising a center strip board constructed of sheet metal, fiber, composition material or other suitable non-metallic material, said center strip board being designated by the reference numeral and having a. plurality of openings or notches 2| provided in the lower margin thereof and with end corner notches similar to the notches or openings 3 provided in the ends of the board similar to the arrangements illustrated in Figure 5, for the purpose of permitting the board 20 to be aligned in abutting relation similar to the setup illustrated in Figure l. The center strip boards are adapted to be supported in position above the top surface of a road sub-grade by means of modified forms of shoes or brackets, each of which comprises a main or body plate 22, the

lower end of which is bent outwardly at right angles to provide a foot or flange 23 having a pin or stake-receiving opening 24 provided therein. The upper portion of the main or body plate 22 of the bracket has a head or channel 25 formed near the upper end thereof to provide a groove for the reception of a reenforcing rod or bar 26, whioh'is adapted to seat in the groove of the bead 25against one side of the center strip board 20 to brace and reenforce the same. The upper end of the main or body plate 22 of the modified form of bracket is bent over at an angle and tapered to provide a gripping blade or tooth 27 which is adapted to project or cut into one side of the center strip board to assist in holding the board locked in position. Struck from the main or body plate 22 of the modified form of shoe or bracket is a tongue or arm 28 having an aperture 29 cut therein for the reception of a grooved or channeled retaining pin or stake 30 which projects downwardly through the openings 29 and 24 and has the lower end thereof tapered or pointed at II to permit the pin or stake to be driven into the sub-grade of the road. The retaining pin or stake is engaged adjacent the surface of the center strip board opposite the reenforcing rod or bar 26 so that said center strip board is clamped between the reeniorcing rod and the various retaining pins or stakes which are engaged in the shoes or brackets spaced at intervals along the road. The center strip boards are supported upon the fingers or arms" of the brackets, as illustrated in Figure 6, with the lower longitudinal edges of the center strip boards positioned above the top surface of the sub-grade to provide an arrangement wherein the amount of material required is materially reduced, thereby reducing the cost of construct on. In view of the fact that the center strip boards may be constructed of fiber or other suitable material, said boards may have the upper edges thereof projecting up to the top surface of the crown of the road or to within a short distance of the top of the road, since no injury is'likely to be inflicted upon tires of vehicle wheels which may come in contact with the upper edges of said center strip boards.

in the modified form of construction, at a joint between two abutting center strip boards, the supporting bracket is adapted to have engaged thereon a clamping plate or frame constructed of a sheet of sheet metal having a slot therein permitting the same to be engaged over the tongue or arm 28 of the shoe or bracket, with said clamping frame overlapping the abutting ends of the center strip boards, similar to the arrangement illustrated in Figure 1.

When the center strip boards are constructed of sheet metal, said boards may be of reduced width with the lower edges spaced above the road sub-grade and with the upper edges positioned below the top surface of the crown of the road.

It will, of course, be understood that various details of construct on may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and it is, therefore, not

purposed to limit the patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A concrete road center strip and support comprising a plurality of aligned, abutting, notched center strip boards, supports for holding said center strip boards mounted in position above a road sub-grade, stakes on one side of said center strip boards engaged with'said supports for holding the same seated in position on a road sub-grade and also serving to hold the center strip boards in place, and reenforcing means supported by said supports for engaging and bracing the opposite sides of said center strip boards.

2. A center strip and support comprising an apertured bracket, a notched center strip board supported on said bracket with a portion of said bracket projecting through said center strip board, reenforcing means supported on said bracket adjacent opposite sides of the center strip board to brace the same, a pin engaging through the projecting portion of said apertured bracket to secure the same in position and also afford a brace for the center strip board, and means formed on said bracket positioned to cut into the center strip board to assist in holding said board mounted in position above a road sub-grade.

3. A center strip and support comprising an apertured bracket, a retaining pin and dowel bars projecting through the apertures thereof, notched center strip boards engaged on said bracket, a clamping frame engaged on said bracket between the retaining pin and said center strip boards, a reenforcing means carried by said bracket and positioned in contact with the surfaces of the center strip boards opposite said clamping frame, and means integrally formed on said bracket adapted to be projected into the center strip boards to hold the same mounted in position supported by said bracket.

4. A center strip and support comprising an apertured bracket adapted to be seated on a road sub-grade, a notched center strip board engaged on said bracket, a reenforcing bar on one side of said board and carried by said bracket for reenforcing the board, and a member on the opposite side of said board engaged with said bracket to hold the bracket secured in position on the road sub-grade and also serving to hold the center strip board clamped in position.

5. A center strip and support comprising an apertured bracket adapted to be seated on a road sub-grade, a notched center strip board supported on said bracket above the top surface of the road sub-grade, a retaining pin engaged in said bracket on one side of said center strip board, a reenforcing bar supported by said bracket on the opposite side of said center strip board, and means integrally formed on said bracket adapted to cut into the center strip board to assist in supporting the same in position.

6. A center strip and support comprising an apertured bracket adapted to be seated on a road sub-grade, a notched center strip board seated over said bracket with the lower edge of said center strip board spaced from the top surface of the road sub-grade on which the bracket is mounted, a retaining pin engaged through said bracket and projecting into the road sub-grade to secure the bracket in place and hold the center strip board in position, a reenforcing member clamped against one side of said center strip board by said bracket, and means formed on said bracket adapted to project into the board to assist in the mounting thereof.

7. A center strip and support comprising an apertured bracket, a notched center strip board engaged thereon, a clamping frame engaged on said bracket to one side of said center strip board, a retaining pin engaged through said bracket to the outside of saidclamping frame, a reenforcing member on the opposite side of said center strip board and supported by said bracket to brace said board in position, and a tapered member formed on said bracket adapted to be driven into the center strip board to assist in looking the board in mounted position.

8. The combination with a center strip board, of a bracket projecting therethrough for supporting the same in position, and means supported on said bracket on opposite sides of the center strip board to hold the board in place.

9. The combination with a contraction joint bracket, of a center strip board supported thereon, a reenforcing member carried by said bracket for bracing the center strip board, and means integrally formed on said bracket for supporting said reenforcing member and projecting into the board to assist in holding the same mounted in position.

10. A contraction joint device comprising a plurality of aligned, abutting center strip boards; a plurality of apertured brackets engaging and supporting said boards in position spaced above a road sub-grade, reenforcing bars carried by said brackets for bracing the center strip boards. tooth members integrally formed on said brackets and projecting into the boards, clamping frames engaged on the brackets positioned at the points of abutment of said center strip boards, and staking pins engaging said brackets to hold the reenforcing bars, the clamping frames and the center strip boards locked in position on said brackets.

11. A concrete road center strip and support comprising a plurality of aligned notched center strip boards, supports engaging the notched portions for holding said center strip boards mounted in position above a road sub-grade, and stakes on one side of said center strip boards engaged with said supports for holding the same seated in position on a road sub-grade and also serving to hold the center strip boards in place.

12. A concrete road center strip and support comprising a plurality of aligned notched center strip boards, supports engaging the notched portions for holding said center strip boards mounted in position above a road sub-grade, and means on one side of said center strip boards engaged with said supports for holding the same seated in position on a road sub-grade and also serving to hold the center strip boards in place.

13. A concrete road center strip and support comprising a plurality of aligned notched center strip boards, supports for holding said center boards mounted in position above a road subgrade, means on the supports abutting one side of and projecting through to the opposite side of the center strip boards, and stakes on one side of said center strip boards engaging with the projecting means for holding said supports in position on a road sub-grade and also serving to hold the center strip boards in place.

WILLIAM C. BURRELL. 

